Career Planning

Programs of Distinction

You’ll live in the real world. Prepare to succeed there now.

That's the genius behind Albion's Programs of Distinction. Regardless of your academic and career interests, these programs add value through specialized academic offerings and opportunities. Put your learning to work through internships, research and other pre-professional experiences. Give yourself a distinct advantage when applying to graduate or professional school. Or landing your first job after graduation.

This seminar will examine how human beings typically process information about “black swans,” which are defined as events that are extremely rare, typically unpredictable, and have a visible, significant impact on everyday life. We will also discuss how human beings typically process information about “white swans,” which are defined as events that are common, predictable in the aggregate, and tend to have an unseen significant impact on everyday life. In this course, we will examine four historical events of a “black swan” nature: the rise of Nazi Germany during the 1920s and 1930s, the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the Crash of 2008. In addition, we will examine at least one prospective black swan: the rise of the Islamic State and related extremist groups, and their potential impacts on American and global societies. We will also examine at least one issue of a “white swan” nature: drug abuse and addiction. Discussion will focus on the unfolding and aftermath of the black swan events, why experts tended to neglect the possibility of black swans, and how other supposed “experts” could explain them after they occurred.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP151 you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

This course will help you learn how to secure agreements between two or more interdependent parties in order to get things done.It draws from theories and concepts related to negotiation developed in microeconomics (game theory, Pareto efficiency), psychology (cognitive biases), and labor relations (integrative bargaining). Numerous role-playing exercises will enhance students' skills as negotiators, through repeated practice. This course also should help students become more aware of their own ethical values and personality traits.

Who Should Take This Course?A course on negotiation and dispute resolution is especially important for students preparing for future roles as:

The principles of negotiation learned from this course should be broadly applicable to many contexts, such as law, business, international relations, and public policy. I do not, however, emphasize the kind of intensely emotional interpersonal negotiations that a marital therapist or family therapist might facilitate.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP154 you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

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Great Issues in the Social Sciences:“Savage ‘Little’ Wars: Narratives of Counterinsurgency Warfare in Film and in Practice 1963-2013

This honors seminar is framed by a puzzle which is best considered as a question: How is it that a military strategy, “Counterinsurgency” (COIN) that has failed so often and so systematically can continue to be held in high regard by political and military elites in countries such as the United States?

In thinking about this question, we will analyze how COIN has been viewed by national security and military elites (post-World War II generals in particular) as a long-term strategy to fight asymmetric wars: that is, post-Colonial conflicts, conflicts that arise in “failed states,” and, finally, the problematic “global war on terrorism”— i.e., the post 9/11 strategies for asymmetric war.

We will take two approaches to the analysis in the seminar. 1). The consideration of how COIN tactics have been portrayed in film; that is, how narratives are used in film to establish a particular kind of thinking. 2). A careful and close reading of important academic literature in the national security, war-fighting, and policy history scholarship. This aspect to our seminar aims at a fuller understanding of how military strategy has adjusted to modern asymmetric warfare and why COIN regularly reemerges with a new gloss, as the “go to” tactic/strategy for countries such as the United States.

As regards the use of film, the seminar will examine how COIN has been portrayed in popular film as a means to either support or raise questions about so-called “small wars” and the tactics associated with these types of conflicts. We will view films representing various points of view. We will also consider questions about how the use of film narratives (drawing on the work of Hayden White and others) can reconstruct a particular context (opposing realities if you will) that lends support to counter-insurgency warfare or, undermines this strategy.

The second approach will be reading intensive referencing the literature on the military strategies of asymmetric warfare emphasizing the perspective of those on the “receiving end” as it were, of counter-insurgency operations. I would like us to focus specifically on why COIN tactics and strategies seem to continue to garner significant purchase among the military, even in light of its abject historical failure (save a few instances in modern history). Why is this the case? That is the what the seminar is about.

The course will entail both a close reading of two types of texts: film and literature. Short papers follow each film. One final paper for the course.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP151 , you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

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Great Issues in Social ScienceAfter the Melting Pot: Issues in 20th-Century U.S. Immigration

The role of immigrants in the U.S., a “nation of immigrants,” has been debated since the founding era. This seminar looks both at the experience and myths of immigration, as well as the debates over immigration’s place in the 20th-century U.S.

How has immigration changed since the arrival of the predominantly European “huddled masses” of a century ago? Ellis Island holds a strong place in our national consciousness, but many American families first entered the U.S. in the past century at Angel Island, El Paso, JFK, or LAX. The U.S. population currently includes an all-time high number of foreign-born individuals, mostly from nations well beyond Europe: what does this hold for the future? How have attitudes toward immigration changed with the rise and fall of different notions of race?

The class will consider immigration through history, ethnography, demography, literature, film, and sociology. Amidst our general readings, the seminar will focus on three main immigrant groups: East European Jews, Mexicans, and South Asians. Students will have the opportunity to research other immigrant groups.

Readings (tenative list):Ernesto Galarza, Barrio BoyS. Mitra Kalita, Suburban SahibsJhumpa Lahiri, The NamesakeRubén Martínez, Crossing Over: a Mexican Family on the Migrant TrailIsrael Zangwill, “The Melting Pot”Jane Ziegelman, 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

Films:The Sixth SectionHester StreetToday’s Special

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP155, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

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Great Issues Issues in Fine ArtsCeramics and the Industrial Revolution

Ceramics and the Industrial Revolution is an interdisciplinary course that engages students in producing handmade pottery while tracing the history and commerce of the ceramics industry from pre-industrial times to the 1920s. Students will learn to make and fire clay objects in the studio, starting with hand forming techniques and later using plaster molds, while taking part in discussions from readings about how the industrial revolution changed many aspects of the world. Each student will find a research topic related to cultural changes during the Industrial Revolution and present their findings to the class. Emphasis will be placed on student-facilitated learning, exploration, discovery, and collaborative processes.

NO CERAMICS EXPERIENCE NEEDED

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP172 you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

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Great Issues in Fine ArtsPerspectives on Composer: Style and Expression in Music Composition

Course Description:This course will examine music composition through the lens of the composer, the performer, and the audience. Further views by musicologists, philosophers, and psychologists will provide an interdisciplinary approach to the topic. While music composition is the primary focus, relevant parallels in architecture, visual art, literature, and poetry will also be considered. Historically established music traditions (e.g. concert music and jazz) are contrasted with new forms (e.g. techno, film music and rap) in search of the expanding role of music composition. Course activities include artistic creation, readings, listening assignments, writing, concert attendance, field trips, class discussion, and presentations.

You DO NOT have to be a music major or play an instrument to take this class

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP172H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration.

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Great Issues in HumanitiesWorking in America: Perspectives from the Humanities

Americans are among the hardest workers in the world. Our identities are in large part defined by the work that we do. You are now academic workers who are preparing for many professions and for full, active citizenship. We know that from our work comes, of course, money, but usually also our sense of self worth. We also know that work and socio/economic class are not regarded by all as equally “important.” Many of us do not have a full or even accurate knowledge of the working conditions of many people, the tensions between labor and management, poverty, and the class system in this country. This seminar offers an opportunity to learn more about the complexities of working in America. We will read, discuss, and write about essays, fiction, drama and film, poetry, and autobiography, each of which will increase our understanding of work in America.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP131, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

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Great Issues in HumanitiesScience and the Soul: Science, Religiion & Literature in Germany After Darwin

Description: Since the German Enlightenment changes in the way we understand human life and how we evaluate that knowledge have created a breach in “empirical” views of human kind and “religious” modes of assessing the human being and human behavior. This course will explore, through secondary and original texts, how science has confronted traditional religious views of human beings, and literary portrayals of these conflicts that arose. By combining historical texts, scientific and literary texts in excerpt, we will seek a more in-depth look at how the conflicts between science and religion have been negotiated in Germany throughout the nineteenth century and up to World War II. The course is designed specifically for the student interested in the history of science, the history of religious thought or literature. The student will learn 1) how science and religion come into conflict in modern times; 2) how to approach interdisciplinary reading in cultural history, science, theology and philosophy; 3) and how literature interprets the conflicts between science and religion. No prior knowledge of these areas is necessary.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP131, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

Course Description:Every October, the world (or at least me!!) waits with bated breath for the announcement of the Nobel Prizes. The award goes to “those who had done their best to benefit mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.” (Nobel Website) In this class, we will be studying the legacy of Alfred Nobel and how it has impacted science and the world at large. We will be learning about Alfred Nobel and what lead him to establish this lasting award. We will be looking at several of the awards in great detail to understand the science behind the award and their benefits. I would also like to explore several controversies that surround the Nobel Prize, including Gender and Race in laureate selection, why certain fields were chosen to have awards, while others were not (Math and Biology for example) and what happens when the Swedish Academy of Sciences may have made an flawed selections.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP123, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

In several cases, students will read the original papers that reported the discovery. Laboratory work with Geometer’s Sketchpad will be used to explore the world of hyperbolic geometry. Evaluation will be based on a sequence of short papers, a collection of laboratory reports from Sketchpad, and a substantial final project.

Great Issues in Science - 8 Big Ideas That Shaped Science –Dr. Mark BollmanHSP 124 CRN 7412 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11:45 – 12:35This course will examine eight major scientific ideas, each one of which has had a revolutionary impact on a particular area of science.

In several cases, students will read the original papers that reported the discovery. Laboratory work with Geometer’s Sketchpad will be used to explore the world of hyperbolic geometry. Evaluation will be based on a sequence of short papers, a collection of laboratory reports from Sketchpad, and a substantial final project.

This multidisciplinary course covers topics in physics, astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, and biology to understand the origin of life. We will review relevant concepts and discuss current issues from a "cosmic" perspective. No specialized prior knowledge of these topics is assumed.

One of the fundamental goals in all of science is to understand the origin of life. This course will review relevant concepts and discuss current issues from a "cosmic" perspective. The importance of this approach is demonstrated by recent research, such as astronomical observations that show that organic molecules are synthesized in the interstellar clouds from which new planetary systems are born;

 analyses of meteorites that fell to Earth that show that they contain amino acids and other biologically relevant molecules of extraterrestrial origin;

 experiments in prebiotic chemistry that show that important prebiotic molecules may not have been produced in sufficient quantities here on Earth at the time of life's origin; and

 the knowledge that many other stars have planetary systems and the upcoming technology to test whether or not they support life.

Throughout this course, we will read relevant articles and discuss them from a scientific perspective. Several published results about the existence of first life on Earth, for example, are highly controversial: the ‘lunar cataclysm’ hypothesis that suggests first life was wiped out multiple times before it became established; the conflict between a ‘hot’ or ‘cool’ origin of life; and the ongoing dialogue about whether or not carbon isotope signatures at ~3.8 Ga are truly biogenic, to name a few. These ideas, among others, will be discussed and students will be able to draw their own conclusions about how and when life started on Earth.

Once we have established a model for life based on necessary ingredients and conditions, we will begin to speculate about the possibility for the existence of life on other planets in our own Solar System, as well as the possibility for life in other star systems. One such predictor is the Drake Equation, which uses a variety of parameters to ascertain the number of civilized (i.e. communicating) civilizations that may exist in our Milky Way Galaxy. We will also talk about how extrasolar planets are detected and the best ways to predict their masses, compositions, water content, and temperature. Finally, we will discuss various NASA and ESA missions that are currently designed to look for biosignatures on distant planets.

An intensive and critical study of the cinema of Stanley Kubrick in the context of twentieth-century Western history and culture. Students will view all thirteen of Kubrick's feature films and read three of the novels on which Kubrick based screenplays. Required readings include: Cocks et al, Depth of Field; Nabokov, Lolita; Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Begley, Wartime Lies.

This class will explore the relevance of all the arts in society, culture, and education. As a microcosm of trends nationwide, the course will assess Albion's lack of funding for arts programs and perhaps try to come up with some ideas for this community. The course will have three components: 1. individual exploration of students’ own needs, appreciation, etc. for the arts; 2. We will read/research aesthetic philosophy/theory as well as some statistical research and analysis, and bring in speakers. The final component will involve working in this community—the class will brainstorm a project with the ultimate goal of putting into place some new arts initiative. We may travel to see plays, museums, music performances, etc., along with speakers. The course will involve different types of writing—journals, research based papers, and a final project.

This course examines the response of thinkers, many of them literary artists, to the death of god, the idea that Nietzsche put at the center of thought for himself and for many of the moderns. Even writers not directly influenced by Nietzsche have been haunted by the implications of such a philosophical orientation and have asked to what extent a death-of-God stance would necessarily reorient the artistic gaze away from Truth and towards the social good. At mid-century, the American writer Flannery O'Connor uses the terms Mystery and Manners to designate these two realms; near the century’s end, the Indian writer Salman Rushdie contends that the conflict between the sacred and the secular poses the central aesthetic question for any modern writer. Also in this late modern period, some thinkers use Nietzsche to undermine fundamental conceptions of human identify. The goal of this HSP course is to expose and explore these tensions among competing and often contradictory visions, to provoke in students intelligent reflection upon some great issues surrounding truth, goodness, and beauty.

Course Description:In this class, we will read and analyze horror fiction from the late-eighteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. One issue we will examine closely is the connection between horror literature and social history. For instance, the genre which inaugurated the literature of horror, the gothic novel, arose in England during the late eighteenth century. Is it merely a coincidence that this genre exploded in popularity just as England was struggling with a major societal unraveling? How did the real-life fears of riot and revolution intersect with the invented fears of crumbling castles and ghostly apparitions?

Other questions we will consider include the making of monsters: from what or whom does a culture shape its monsters? Why? What is the function of monsters within the larger culture? Is monster-making a way to police social norms, or does it allow a space for the forbidden to flourish and the repressed to return? We will also study theories of the sublime to begin thinking about the aesthetics of horror.

The course work will include reading, discussion, written assignments, and research projects. The texts we will read include the first gothic novel, Horace Walpole’s bizarre Castle of Otranto; another gothic work by the most popular writer of her day, Anne Radcliffe; Mary Shelley’s story of science gone wrong, Frankenstein; several stories by the ever-morbid Edgar Allen Poe; Sheridan Le Fanu’s intriguing tale of a female vampire, Carmilla; Robert Louis Steven’s meditation on the monster within, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde; Bram Stocker’s tale of the fearsome foreigner, Dracula; Henry James’s uncanny story about possibly possessed children, The Turn of the Screw; some of H.P. Lovecraft’s deeply disturbing short stories; and Shirley Jackson’s comic yet creepy novel The Haunting of Hill House.

Description: Herein we place the argument from design—the argument that concludes that the world’s structure can only be adequately explained with appeal to an intelligent designer—on trial. For the Defense: Socrates, Plato, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, William Paley, Michael Behe, Phillip Johnson, and Alvin Plantinga. For the Prosecution: Epicurus, David Hume, Charles Darwin, Robert Pennock, Michael Ruse, Daniel Dennett, and Eliot Sober.

“The best novel in history: 100 renown authors select ‘El Quijote’ in a survey conducted by the Nobel Institute.” Thus reads the title of a full page article in El País from Wednesday, May 8, 2002. Very few would argue that Miguel de Cervantes’s work El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha is a masterpiece of world literature. Virtually everybody has heard of Don Quijote and Sancho, and most have seen some representation of their (mis)adventures, be it the Broadway hit “Man of La Mancha,” the more contemporary made for TV movie starring Jon Lithgow, or Mr. Magoo’s Don Quixote. The verb phrase “tilting windmills” and the adjective “quixotic” are found in English dictionaries. Nevertheless, the fraternity of humankind that has actually read the entire book cover-to-cover is still relatively small. It is about time we make that fellowship a little larger. Reading and analyzing this work—the first great modern novel —will be a challenging, but life changing experience.

Heirloom tomatoes, Oaxacan-style cheese, Japanese sushi, from the local food movement through the benefits and problems of globalized food systems, how do we decide what to eat? In the last fifteen years, food has become a central cultural issue in the United States. While food writing has existed for centuries, if not millennium, for most of that time scribes have documented the culinary experiences of a society’s elite. Today we not only have a greater variety of media through which to learn about foods, but scholars, researchers, practitioners, and artists from all disciplines within the academy and many positions outside academia are reconsidering the importance of everyday food traditions. Students in this class will step into the world of food writing, food films and food studies. Each regional study will include historical, cultural, and intersectional (gender, race/ethnicity, class and sexuality) analyses.

What is the relationship between schools, the individual, and society? What is the purpose of schooling? Do schools serve as sites of social reproduction, maintaining the status quo, or do they have transformative potential? Should the focus of schooling be to re-invent society or to preserve it? In the course Radical Teaching and Normative Realities of Schooling: What are the Possibilities students will explore different models of schooling and analyze and discuss the assumptions/features embedded within each model. We will begin with the Plato’s allegory of the “cave” and discuss differing views about nature of knowledge and purposes and aims of education. This discussion will continue through an examination of divergent school models (pre-school, elementary, secondary, adult) such as Waldorf, Montessori, The Highlander Folk School, Summerhill Free School, Harvey Milk High School, Mexican American Studies program at Tucson High School, and Pre-Schools in Three Cultures -Japan, China and U.S. Critical pedagogy, an international and interdisciplinary constellation of theoretical perspectives that raise questions about the relationship of schooling and capitalism, gender, race, sexuality, language, and literacy, will be used as analytical tool to explore implications (e.g., power, ethical, cultural) of each model. As a final project students will identify and analyze a contemporary educational model or topic and present to a public audience.

This multidisciplinary course covers topics in physics, astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, and biology to understand the origin of life. We will review relevant concepts and discuss current issues from a "cosmic" perspective. No specialized prior knowledge of these topics is assumed.

One of the fundamental goals in all of science is to understand the origin of life. This course will review relevant concepts and discuss current issues from a "cosmic" perspective. The importance of this approach is demonstrated by recent research, such as

astronomical observations that show that organic molecules are synthesized in the interstellar clouds from which new planetary systems are born;

analyses of meteorites that fell to Earth that show that they contain amino acids and other biologically relevant molecules of extraterrestrial origin;

experiments in prebiotic chemistry that show that important prebiotic molecules may not have been produced in sufficient quantities here on Earth at the time of life's origin; and

the knowledge that many other stars have planetary systems and the upcoming technology to test whether or not they support life.

Throughout this course, we will read relevant articles and discuss them from a scientific perspective. Several published results about the existence of first life on Earth, for example, are highly controversial: the ‘lunar cataclysm’ hypothesis that suggests first life was wiped out multiple times before it became established; the conflict between a ‘hot’ or ‘cool’ origin of life; and the ongoing dialogue about whether or not carbon isotope signatures at ~3.8 Ga are truly biogenic, to name a few. These ideas, among others, will be discussed and students will be able to draw their own conclusions about how and when life started on Earth.

Once we have established a model for life based on necessary ingredients and conditions, we will begin to speculate about the possibility for the existence of life on other planets in our own Solar System, as well as the possibility for life in other star systems. One such predictor is the Drake Equation, which uses a variety of parameters to ascertain the number of civilized (i.e. communicating) civilizations that may exist in our Milky Way Galaxy. We will also talk about how extrasolar planets are detected and the best ways to predict their masses, compositions, water content, and temperature. Finally, we will discuss various NASA and ESA missions that are currently designed to look for biosignatures on distant planets.

Everything that you do, feel, think, perceive… basically everything that matters to you… is the result of activity in your nervous system. Individual cells called “neurons” communicate with one another to create your mind. In “Neurophysiology for Beginners” we will learn about the activity of neurons: how they work, how they encode sensory information, how they control movement, perhaps how they produce emotions and mental activity. The course will provide an overview of the history of our understanding of neurons, and will include many experiments and/or demonstrations that illustrate the concepts that we address. You will also gain a basic understanding of simple instrumentation used to study the nervous system. Because neurons are comparable across species, we can learn about your neurons by studying the neurons of simpler organisms like invertebrates; many of the lab experiences will focus on neurophysiology in cockroaches and earthworms, but we will also at times examine the neurons of students.

A specific lab period is scheduled, but lecture time will also be devoted on occasion to laboratory-related experiences and discussion. Students will be expected to maintain a lab notebook in which they record methodology and observations of each lab. Students will also write up three of the labs (literature review, methodology, results, and discussion) according to APA style – these write-ups will be graded. Finally, each student will design an individual experiment that extends one of the studies that we conducted in lab, ideally providing information about some as yet unanswered question in the literature.

Learning outcomes: By the end of the course students will be able to: Describe in detail the function of a neuron Describe the process by which neural activity is measured Explain how the nervous system encodes information about sensory stimuli Explain how electrical signals can cause muscles to move Explain how electrical signals can be used to examine sensory processing though the human nervous system Propose and conduct a well-controlled experiment addressing some feature of neural activity and If all goes very well, propose an answer to the fundamental question of how neurons create mind.

Great Issues in Science - THE NOBEL PRIZE IN THE SCIENCES - Dr. Vanessa McCaffrey

Every October, the world (or at least me!!) waits with bated breath for the announcement of the Nobel Prizes. The award goes to “those who had done their best to benefit mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.” (Nobel Website) In this class, we will be studying the legacy of Alfred Nobel and how it has impacted science and the world at large. We will be learning about Alfred Nobel and what lead him to establish this lasting award. We will be looking at several of the awards in great detail to understand the science behind the award and their benefits. I would also like to explore several controversies that surround the Nobel Prize, including Gender and Race in laureate selection, why certain fields were chosen to have awards, while others were not (Math and Biology for example) and what happens when the Swedish Academy of Sciences may have made an flawed selections.

This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of gambling, considering the topic from historical, philosophical, and mathematical perspectives for a balanced look at this multifaceted and increasingly important subject. Evaluation will be based on 5-6 essays of varying lengths, computer laboratory work, and some mathematical exercises. Students must be 18 years old no later than November 1, 2014.

Great Issues in Humanities - THE LITERATURE OF HORROR - Dr. Sally Jordan

In this class, we will read and analyze horror fiction from the late-eighteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. One issue we will examine closely is the connection between horror literature and social history. For instance, the genre which inaugurated the literature of horror, the gothic novel, arose in England during the late eighteenth century. Is it merely a coincidence that this genre exploded in popularity just as England was struggling with a major societal unraveling? How did the real-life fears of riot and revolution intersect with the invented fears of crumbling castles and ghostly apparitions?

Other questions we will consider include the making of monsters: from what or whom does a culture shape its monsters? Why? What is the function of monsters within the larger culture? Is monster-making a way to police social norms, or does it allow a space for the forbidden to flourish and the repressed to return? We will also study theories of the sublime to begin thinking about the aesthetics of horror.

The course work will include reading, discussion, written assignments, and research projects. The texts we will read include the first gothic novel, Horace Walpole’s bizarre Castle of Otranto; another gothic work by the most popular writer of her day, Anne Radcliffe; Mary Shelley’s story of science gone wrong, Frankenstein; several stories by the ever-morbid Edgar Allen Poe; Sheridan Le Fanu’s intriguing tale of a female vampire, Carmilla; Robert Louis Steven’s meditation on the monster within, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde; Bram Stocker’s tale of the fearsome foreigner, Dracula; Henry James’s uncanny story about possibly possessed children, The Turn of the Screw; some of H.P. Lovecraft’s deeply disturbing short stories; and Shirley Jackson’s comic yet creepy novel The Haunting of Hill House.

Great Issues in Humanities - MOBY DICK - Dr. Jess Roberts

In this course, we will set about the ambitious project of coming to understand the sense and nonsense, the portentousness and power, the history and wonder of what is arguably the most important novel ever written by an American—Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Class discussions as well as formal and informal writing will provide opportunities for us to discover what the novel has to teach us about language, form, history, intertextuality, truth, fate, our selves, and, yes, whales. Because coming to understand one text is always a matter of coming to understand many texts, we will also read and discuss some of Melville’s sources (the Bible and Macbeth, among others) as well as later revisions of his novel (such as Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou).

Course Goals. By the end of this course students will…

have grappled with the form and content of what is arguably the most important novel ever composed by an American

have come to a fuller understanding of the legacy of Melville’s work and what accounts for that legacy

understand the nature of intertexutality and how it can help us generate increasing nuanced ideas about literary works and about ourselves

be able to generate and explain insights regarding a piece of literature in compelling, cogently written, and logically sound literary analysis

be able to recognize the difference between paraphrasing, summarizing, and analyzing

be able to perform textual analysis; that is, identify the meaning(s) of a text and the strategies through which it creates that/those meaning(s)

be able to engage in a reasoned exchange—that is, to articulate their own ideas clearly and logically, to listen attentively to others as they do so, to seek out the strengths and weaknesses in their classmates’ logic and their own, to ask real questions, and to emerge from an exchange not necessarily in agreement with the other person/people but with a better understanding of their classmates’ idea and their own

be able to cite literary works according to the MLA format

Great Issues in the Social Sciences - DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION - Dr. Carrie Booth-Walling

In 1942 only twelve countries in the world could call themselves democracies. Less than 70 years later, there are 117 electoral democracies globally. Democracies continue to emerge, elections continue to be held, and popular decision-making continues to take root. This is staggering given the challenges that we face globally today: religious extremism, political violence and terrorism, global poverty, conflict, war, devastating natural disasters, global health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, and increased strain upon the environment, to name only a few.

Despite this hopeful news, challenges remain for those countries undergoing democratic transitions. These new democracies are all but stable, their transitions far from certain. Even our own stable and prosperous democracy, often fails to live up to the ideals of popular sovereignty, transparency, accountability, and checks upon state power. This is a class about democratization—in short, how countries become, and how they stay, democratic. We will examine the meaning and importance of democratic institutions, the ways in which democratic transitions emerge, and the challenges in “consolidating” democratic transitions—in short, ensuring that democracy (rather than violence, authoritarianism, or military rule) becomes “the only game in town.”

We will examine case studies of democratization from various regions of the world in order to better understand the causes of democratic transition and democracy’s consolidation. We will focus on the third wave of democracy that swept large parts of Europe and Latin America beginning in the 1970s and we will explore the Arab Spring and prospects for democracy in the newly transitioning countries of the Middle East. Each student will write a final paper examining the democratic transition of their choice. This will introduce students to cultural and historical experiences different than their own and will also help them to make sense of the democratization process that is currently underway in parts of the Middle East – their own historical moment in time. As the introduction above suggests, this class could not be more important and timely. I want to welcome you all to this course and I look forward to a challenging, exciting, and fun semester!

Great Issues in the Social Sciences - Dr. Andy Grossman“SAVAGE ‘LITTLE’ WARS: Narratives of Counterinsurgency Warfare in Film and in Practice 1963-2013”

This honors seminar is framed by a puzzle which is best considered as a question: How is it that a military strategy, “Counterinsurgency” (COIN) that has failed so often and so systematically can continue to be held in high regard by political and military elites in countries such as the United States?

In thinking about this question, we will analyze how COIN has been viewed by national security and military elites (post-World War II generals in particular) as a long-term strategy to fight asymmetric wars: that is, post-Colonial conflicts, conflicts that arise in “failed states,” and, finally, the problematic “global war on terrorism”— i.e., the post 9/11 strategies for asymmetric war.

We will take two approaches to the analysis in the seminar. 1). The consideration of how COIN tactics have been portrayed in film; that is, how narratives are used in film to establish a particular kind of thinking. 2). A careful and close reading of important academic literature in the national security, war-fighting, and policy history scholarship. This aspect to our seminar aims at a fuller understanding of how military strategy has adjusted to modern asymmetric warfare and why COIN regularly reemerges with a new gloss, as the “go to” tactic/strategy for countries such as the United States.

As regards the use of film, the seminar will examine how COIN has been portrayed in popular film as a means to either support or raise questions about so-called “small wars” and the tactics associated with these types of conflicts. We will view films representing various points of view. We will also consider questions about how the use of film narratives (drawing on the work of Hayden White and others) can reconstruct a particular context (opposing realities if you will) that lends support to counter-insurgency warfare or, undermines this strategy.

The second approach will be reading intensive referencing the literature on the military strategies of asymmetric warfare emphasizing the perspective of those on the “receiving end” as it were, of counter-insurgency operations. I would like us to focus specifically on why COIN tactics and strategies seem to continue to garner significant purchase among the military, even in light of its abject historical failure (save a few instances in modern history). Why is this the case? That is the what the seminar is about.

Great Issues in Social Science - Dr. Deborah KanterAFTER THE MELTING POT: ISSUES IN 20th-CENTURY U.S. IMMIGRATION

The role of immigrants in the U.S., a “nation of immigrants,” has been debated since the founding era. This seminar looks both at the experience and myths of immigration, as well as the debates over immigration’s place in the 20th-century U.S.

How has immigration changed since the arrival of the predominantly European “huddled masses” of a century ago? Ellis Island holds a strong place in our national consciousness, but many American families first entered the U.S. in the past century at Angel Island, El Paso, JFK, or LAX. The U.S. population currently includes an all-time high number of foreign-born individuals, mostly from nations well beyond Europe: what does this hold for the future? How have attitudes toward immigration changed with the rise and fall of different notions of race?

The class will consider immigration through history, ethnography, demography, literature, film, and sociology. Amidst our general readings, the seminar will focus on three main immigrant groups: East European Jews, Mexicans, and South Asians. Students will have the opportunity to research other immigrant groups.

This course will look at Vienna around 1815—its background of Napoleonic war, politics, censorship, secret police, and rapidly changing society, as well as the diversions young people sought out to “escape” from unpleasant reality.

These diversions ranged from grand public spectacle (major concerts, opera, the theatre, grand balls, celebrity virtuosos) to the intimate salon and Schubertiade, held in private homes and including poetry, song, and tableaux.

To counter the horrors and chaos of war and the battlefield (where men reigned), the ballroom in particular became the dominion of the ladies, including the development of elaborate rituals and games concerning costume, etiquette and dance. In tandem with dramatic and rapid changes in dress from the French aristocratic model to the more free and form-revealing “Josephine” style, new and scandalous dances (such as the Waltz—but not at all the sedate version we know today!) developed. Ballroom “games” for choosing one’s dance partner, including “The Mirror” and “Whips and Reins”, frequently resulted in embarrassment and great hilarity. Secret messages could be sent to a lover through glove and handkerchief flirtations. All these activities were a form of “escape” within “safe” societal boundaries.

This class will study the political, social, and musical context in which all these reactions to the times developed. We will study the Congress of Vienna and read the diary of a Napoleonic footsoldier. We will read etiquette and dance manuals from the period, and look at historical costume and hairstyles. We will listen to music of Schubert and his contemporaries, and look at some of the poetry Schubert chose to set to music.

We will present our findings in a combination Schubertiade/salon/ball in a public performance near the end of the semester. The evening will contain music, historical skits, dance, costume, games, and all will participate/contribute, each according to interests and abilities.

You do NOT have to be a dancer, singer, actor, poet, or musician in order to contribute. You do NOT have to be a historian or a political scientist. But if you have special interest or ability in any of these areas, that contribution will be welcome!

Drawing is an art form that reaches back to the earliest human civilizations, yet it continues to be relevant for contemporary artists working today. How can we understand the continued relevance of drawing as an artistic practice? Starting with Milton Glaser’s assertion that “thinking is drawing,” this class will combine the practice of drawing with class discussions of readings on the history and practice of drawing. Thus, in its subject and structure, the course will combine dawing practice and analysis in a discussion-based seminar. Readings will range from artists’ writings on drawing to critical and art historical analyses of drawings, investigating drawing as both a mode of cultural production and a form of thought.

Students who complete this course will be able to: Experience drawing as both a practice and a mode of inquiry Understand key artworks in their historical and cultural contexts Gain experience reading and interpreting art history Identify and analyze artists’ drawing practices, and interpret writings associated with drawings

Everything that you do, feel, think, perceive… basically everything that matters to you… is the result of activity in your nervous system. Individual cells called “neurons” communicate with one another to create your mind. In “Neurophysiology for Beginners” we will learn about the activity of neurons: how they work, how they encode sensory information, how they control movement, perhaps how they produce emotions and mental activity. The course will provide an overview of the history of our understanding of neurons, and will include many experiments and/or demonstrations that illustrate the concepts that we address. You will also gain a basic understanding of simple instrumentation used to study the nervous system. Because neurons are comparable across species, we can learn about your neurons by studying the neurons of simpler organisms like invertebrates; many of the lab experiences will focus on neurophysiology in cockroaches and earthworms, but we will also at times examine the neurons of students.

A specific lab period is scheduled, but lecture time will also be devoted on occasion to laboratory-related experiences and discussion. Students will be expected to maintain a lab notebook in which they record methodology and observations of each lab. Students will also write up three of the labs (literature review, methodology, results, and discussion) according to APA style – these write-ups will be graded. Finally, each student will design an individual experiment that extends one of the studies that we conducted in lab, ideally providing information about some as yet unanswered question in the literature.

Learning outcomes: By the end of the course students will be able to:

Describe in detail the function of a neuron, Describe the process by which neural activity is measured, Explain how the nervous system encodes information about sensory stimuli, Explain how electrical signals can cause muscles to move, Explain how electrical signals can be used to examine sensory processing though the human nervous system, Propose and conduct a well-controlled experiment addressing some feature of neural activity, and If all goes very well, propose an answer to the fundamental question of how neurons create mind.

Reading assignments will be drawn from the primary literature on the function of the nervous system

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP123, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration Great Issues in Fine Arts

In Animal Communication, we will start with the question, what is communication? We will examine some of the diverse systems of communication among animals from an evolutionary perspective. Animal communication involves a minimum of three components: a signaler (sender), a signal, and a perceiver (receiver). We will explore different types of signals in animal communication (including acoustic, visual, chemical, and tactile), and ask how environmental factors and other features, such as signal reliability and signal cost, affect signal selection in non-human species. We will address a variety of other questions, including whether signals are honest and accurate from the perspective of the sender and the perceiver, whether signals work among different species (interspecific), and what (if anything) distinguishes non-human animal communication from human language.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP124, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

Results in empirical psychology show that often we do not reason in conformance with the laws of probability and the laws of logic. If these divergences are due to our underlying reasoning competence, then one might wonder whether we are rational creatures, after all, since we reflexively think of rationality as being defined exactly in terms of these laws. Is it right, then, to question our rationality on the basis of these empirical results? How exactly do they bear on the status of our rationality? Can we learn anything about the nature of rationality by considering them? In this course we will explore such questions as we investigate the psychology of human reasoning and the nature of rationality.

A course packet, available for purchase in the philosophy department (Vulgamore 207).

Course Objectives:

* To understand the psychological experiments central to the “heuristics and biases” literature, as well as the interpretive controversies that surround them. * To explore some philosophical issues relating to this literature. * To better understand the nature of (theoretical) rationality. * To think and write carefully, clearly, and to the point.

Poet Charles Simic writes, “Poems witness our existence in ways nothing else can. There’s that moment in a great poem when time stops and the reader’s self is touched by someone else’s life. The poem ascends, and so do we in its company. In a long history of forgetting, poems make us remember what it means to stand naked before ourselves.” But how do we go about writing poems that metaphorically stop time, poems that emotionally touch the reader, or poems that unexpectedly ascend?

As an introduction to poetic forms and traditions, this course provides guidance, feedback, and practice on the craft of writing poetry. Throughout the semester, we will approach poetry from a writer’s perspective, analyzing how writers craft their poems, and each discussion will serve as a model for students to write their own poems. We will study both traditional and contemporary readings, examining the writers’ techniques and styles; that is, we will investigate various traditional subjects (such as ekphrasis, dramatic monologues, elegies, and poetry of witness) in addition to various traditional forms (potentially sonnets, villanelles, heroic couplets, and blues poems). Furthermore, we will consider not only the tradition of a poetic form (subject, structure, expectations), but contemporary uses and adaptations of the form. And in the process of exploring poetic forms and traditions, we will also discuss what elements make a poem a great poem—imagery, narrative, lines, line breaks, music, etcetera.

Thus, the main concentration of our class will consist of three major components: reading and analyzing published poems; writing, revising, and editing; and learning to critique fellow student work. We will workshop several of each poet’s poems, offering constructive criticism and due praise, which the poet will revise for one portfolio and one reinventions project. Since the workshop’s usefulness depends on student ideas and suggestions, everyone will participate in class and individually respond to fellow writers’ work. Lastly, students will present one poetic tradition or form to the class.

One does not need to be a poet to take this course—the course is designed so that every writer will learn about poetic craft, and so that every writer will develop over the course of the semester.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP132, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

This course will help you learn how to secure agreements between two or more interdependent parties in order to get things done.It draws from theories and concepts related to negotiation developed in microeconomics (game theory, Pareto efficiency), psychology (cognitive biases), and labor relations (integrative bargaining). Numerous role-playing exercises will enhance students' skills as negotiators, through repeated practice. This course also should help students become more aware of their own ethical values and personality traits.

Who Should Take This Course?

A course on negotiation and dispute resolution is especially important for students preparing for future roles as: Lawyers Managers Public officials Human services professionals Environmental advocates Community group leader

The principles of negotiation learned from this course should be broadly applicable to many contexts, such as law, business, international relations, and public policy. I do not, however, emphasize the kind of intensely emotional interpersonal negotiations that a marital therapist or family therapist might facilitate.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP 154H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration.

WE ARE MAKING A NEW WORLDHSP 155H CRN 5427Monday & Wednesday7:00-9:00pmDr. Chris Hagerman

Course Description:

The Great War did not inaugurate trench warfare, but it brought to such fighting an unheralded degree of industrial intensity. The inevitable corollary of this evolution toward perfection was a four-year spasm of destruction, unprecedented in severity and scale - one that visited unspeakable horrors upon millions of soldiers. None emerged unchanged. Taking as its focus the three great traumas of trench warfare manifest on the Western Front – the destruction of human life, of civilization, and of the environment - this course explores the Great War’s impact on individual soldiers and, through them, culture at large. Our approach will be interdisciplinary, encompassing detailed studies of the physical environment, traditional historical documents such as, diaries, letters, memoirs, and trench maps, photographs, film, poetry, painting, novels, and music.

European Trip*: (Not mandatory but highly recommended)

We will leave on or about May 12th and return on or about May 19th, 2014. Our aim will be to experience and discuss the Great War battlefields, museums, and memorials of Ypres (Belgium) and the Somme (France). In Europe we will be travelling point to point in vans, but will otherwise be on foot most of the time.

Estimated cost per student: $1,800, (excluding transfers to and from DTW and spending money)

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP 155H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration.

This course will look at Vienna around 1815—its background of Napoleonic war, politics, censorship, secret police, and rapidly changing society, as well as the diversions young people sought out to “escape” from unpleasant reality.

These diversions ranged from grand public spectacle (major concerts, opera, the theatre, grand balls, celebrity virtuosos) to the intimate salon and Schubertiade, held in private homes and including poetry, song, and tableaux.

To counter the horrors and chaos of war and the battlefield (where men reigned), the ballroom in particular became the dominion of the ladies, including the development of elaborate rituals and games concerning costume, etiquette and dance. In tandem with dramatic and rapid changes in dress from the French aristocratic model to the more free and form-revealing “Josephine” style, new and scandalous dances (such as the Waltz—but not at all the sedate version we know today!) developed. Ballroom “games” for choosing one’s dance partner, including “The Mirror” and “Whips and Reins”, frequently resulted in embarrassment and great hilarity. Secret messages could be sent to a lover through glove and handkerchief flirtations. All these activities were a form of “escape” within “safe” societal boundaries.

This class will study the political, social, and musical context in which all these reactions to the times developed. We will study the Congress of Vienna and read the diary of a Napoleonic footsoldier. We will read etiquette and dance manuals from the period, and look at historical costume and hairstyles. We will listen to music of Schubert and his contemporaries, and look at some of the poetry Schubert chose to set to music.

We will present our findings in a combination Schubertiade/salon/ball in a public performance near the end of the semester. The evening will contain music, historical skits, dance, costume, games, and all will participate/contribute, each according to interests and abilities.

You do NOT have to be a dancer, singer, actor, poet, or musician in order to contribute. You do NOT have to be a historian or a political scientist. But if you have special interest or ability in any of these areas, that contribution will be welcome!

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP172H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

This course will explore the ways that artists respond to the worsening world water crisis in conceptual and visual ways. In 2007 the United Nations Environment Program predicted that: “If present trends continue, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity by 2025, and two-thirds of the world population could be subject to water stress.” Artists from around the world are creating art that calls attention to or illustrates the crisis, or actually remediates polluted water. Rather than being grim or depressing, many of the works are beautiful and poetic.

Students in this course will learn to make historical book forms from various cultures (Coptic, codex, accordion, and Japanese bound) and discover an appreciation of books in a new and wider context. From there, students will apply newly learned techniques to the production of nontraditional artist books.

In creating your original work, whether text, imagery, or a combination of the two is employed, emphasis will be placed on the creation of books as visual objects.

Everything that you do, feel, think, perceive… basically everything that matters to you… is the result of activity in your nervous system. Individual cells called “neurons” communicate with one another to create your mind. In “Neurophysiology for Beginners” we will learn about the activity of neurons: how they work, how they encode sensory information, how they control movement, perhaps how they produce emotions and mental activity. The course will provide an overview of the history of our understanding of neurons, and will include many experiments and/or demonstrations that illustrate the concepts that we address. You will also gain a basic understanding of simple instrumentation used to study the nervous system. Because neurons are comparable across species, we can learn about your neurons by studying the neurons of simpler organisms like invertebrates; many of the lab experiences will focus on neurophysiology in cockroaches and earthworms, but we will also at times examine the neurons of students. A specific lab period is scheduled, but lecture time will also be devoted on occasion to laboratory-related experiences and discussion. Students will be expected to maintain a lab notebook in which they record methodology and observations of each lab. Students will also write up three of the labs (literature review, methodology, results, and discussion) according to APA style – these write-ups will be graded. Finally, each student will design an individual experiment that extends one of the studies that we conducted in lab, ideally providing information about some as yet unanswered question in the literature. Learning outcomes: By the end of the course students will be able to: - Describe in detail the function of a neuron, - Describe the process by which neural activity is measured, - Explain how the nervous system encodes information about sensory stimuli, - Explain how electrical signals can cause muscles to move, - Explain how electrical signals can be used to examine sensory processing though the human nervous system, - Propose and conduct a well-controlled experiment addressing some feature of neural activity, and - If all goes very well, propose an answer to the fundamental question of how neurons create mind.

Reading assignments will be drawn from the primary literature on the function of the nervous system

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP123, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

In Animal Communication, we will start with the question, what is communication? We will examine some of the diverse systems of communication among animals from an evolutionary perspective. Animal communication involves a minimum of three components: a signaler (sender), a signal, and a perceiver (receiver). We will explore different types of signals in animal communication (including acoustic, visual, chemical, and tactile), and ask how environmental factors and other features, such as signal reliability and signal cost, affect signal selection in non-human species. We will address a variety of other questions, including whether signals are honest and accurate from the perspective of the sender and the perceiver, whether signals work among different species (interspecific), and what (if anything) distinguishes non-human animal communication from human language.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP124, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

In several cases, students will read the original papers that reported the discovery. Laboratory work with Geometer’s Sketchpad will be used to explore the world of hyperbolic geometry. Evaluation will be based on a sequence of short papers, a collection of laboratory reports from Sketchpad, and a substantial final project.

One of the most compelling ideas in Western culture is that people are or should be equal before the law and in each other’s eyes. In this seminar we will look to literature, philosophy, and public documents to find the complex of beliefs and assumptions that make equality still just out of reach and often ambiguous. We begin with Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest and Aimé Césaire’s revisionist play, Une Tempête to learn from one early source about the complexities of equality. All of our reading offer specific and varied perspectives on power and equality; each text enriches and complicates ideas we generally believe are true and stable facts. Our reading will include The Declaration of independence and the Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls; and Ralph Ellison’s classic novel Invisible Man and Paul Beatty’s comic response White Boy Shuffle. All papers will require approaches to textual analysis.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP131, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

This course examines the response of thinkers, many of them literary artists, to the death of god, the idea that Nietzsche put at the center of thought for himself and for many of the moderns. Even writers not directly influenced by Nietzsche have been haunted by the implications of such a philosophical orientation and have asked to what extent a death-of-God stance would necessarily reorient the artistic gaze away from Truth and towards the social good. At mid-century, the American writer Flannery O'Connor uses the terms Mystery and Manners to designate these two realms; near the century’s end, the Indian writer Salman Rushdie contends that the conflict between the sacred and the secular poses the central aesthetic question for any modern writer. Also in this late modern period, some thinkers use Nietzsche to undermine fundamental conceptions of human identify. The goal of this HSP course is to expose and explore these tensions among competing and often contradictory visions, to provoke in students intelligent reflection upon some great issues surrounding truth, goodness, and beauty.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP131H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission of Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

Rachel Carson, Vandana Shiva, and Wangari Maathai head the list of women thinkers, writers and activists who have given us fresh views on the environment and sustainability. Starting with the works of these women and recognizing that the United States and other western countries have no monopoly on with environmental theory or activism, students will explore the breadth of global and local women’s work on all the issues relevant to sustainability. While the general public doesn’t often see the environment as a women’s issue, women’s ecofeminism developed with the contemporary women’s movement. In addition to reading, class discussions and short papers, students will conduct original research on an individual woman or women’s group. From that research, students will teach a section of the class and write a significant paper. Students will participate in Albion College’s Year of Sustainability events and develop a related class project. Outcomes: • Teach students to think critically about the connections between women’s issues and the environment; • Examine how place influenced the particular paths of the three key women theorists and activists; • Consider the basic concepts, frameworks and debates concerning gender and the environment; • Explore how women’s studies and feminism have contributed to ecological and environmental theory; • Foster creative thinking and original research on global and local efforts by women ion these issues; and • Link this class with the campus-wide sustainability theme. Process: Students will • Participate in and lead class discussions; • Write short reflection papers; • Conduct original research; • Teach a class based on that research; • Develop a group project related to Albion College’s Year of Sustainability

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP155, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

The role of immigrants in the U.S., a “nation of immigrants,” has been debated since the founding era. This seminar looks both at the experience and myths of immigration, as well as the debates over immigration’s place in the 20th-century U.S.

How has immigration changed since the arrival of the predominantly European “huddled masses” of a century ago? Ellis Island holds a strong place in our national consciousness, but many American families first entered the U.S. in the past century at Angel Island, El Paso, JFK, or LAX. The U.S. population currently includes an all-time high number of foreign-born individuals, mostly from nations well beyond Europe: what does this hold for the future? How have attitudes toward immigration changed with the rise and fall of different notions of race?

The class will consider immigration through history, ethnography, demography, literature, film, and sociology. Amidst our general readings, the seminar will focus on three main immigrant groups: East European Jews, Mexicans, and South Asians. Students will have the opportunity to research other immigrant groups.

Readings (tenative list): Israel Zangwill, “The Melting Pot” Ernesto Galarza, Barrio Boy Rubén Martínez, Crossing Over: a Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake Vijay Prashad, The Karma of Brown Folk Jane Ziegelman, 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

Films: The Sixth Section Hester Street

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP155, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

This honors seminar is framed by a puzzle which is best considered as a question: How is it that a military strategy, “Counterinsurgency” (COIN) that has failed so often and so systematically can continue to be held in high regard by political and military elites in countries such as the United States? In thinking about this question, we will analyze how COIN has been viewed by national security and military elites (post-World War II generals in particular) as a long-term strategy to fight asymmetric wars: that is, post-Colonial conflicts, conflicts that arise in “failed states,” and, finally, the problematic “global war on terrorism”— i.e., the post 9/11 strategies for asymmetric war.

We will take two approaches to the analysis in the seminar. 1). The consideration of how COIN tactics have been portrayed in in film, specifically how narratives are used in film to establish a particular kind of thinking. 2). A careful and close reading of important academic literature in the national security, war-fighting, and policy history scholarship. This aspect to our seminar aims at a fuller understanding of how military strategy has adjusted to modern asymmetric warfare and why COIN regularly reemerges with a new gloss, as the “go to” tactic/strategy for countries such as the United States.

As regards the use of film, the seminar will examine how COIN has been portrayed in popular film as means to either support or raise questions about small wars and the tactic of COIN. Films representing both points of view will be used. We will consider questions about how the use of film narratives (drawing on the work of Hayden White and others) can reconstruct a particular context (a reality if you will) that lends support or undermines COIN.

With respect to the second approach, we will read the literature on military strategy, consider the issue from perspective of war-fighting, from the perspective of regular soldiers, and from the perspective of those on the “receiving end” as it were, of COIN. I would like us to focus specifically on why COIN tactics and strategies seem to continue to garner significant purchase among the military, even in light of its abject historical failure (save a few instances in modern history). Why is this the case? That is the what the seminar is about.

The course will entail both a close reading of two types of texts: film and literature. Short papers follow each film. One final paper for the course.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP151 , you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

Historic Parallels in the ArtsHSP 175 CRN 4434 Monday & Wednesday 2:15 – 4:05pm Clayton Parr Music Department (
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The course will examine a number of points in European cultural history and look at how changing aesthetic ideals were manifested in music, painting and architecture. Students will gain a basic historical familiarity with the important movements in Western artistic thought while developing the ability to compare examples of these ideas in different artistic genres.

Possible weekend class trip to Chicago for students to get some direct experience of the things we will be covering in class --- visit to the art museum, an architectural walking tour, the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, take in a concert.

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP172, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration

Course Description: This course will examine music composition through the lens of the composer, the performer, and the audience. Further views by musicologists, philosophers, and psychologists will provide an interdisciplinary approach to the topic. While music composition is the primary focus, relevant parallels in architecture, visual art, literature, and poetry will also be considered. Historically established music traditions (e.g. concert music and jazz) are contrasted with new forms (e.g. techno, film music and rap) in search of the expanding role of music composition. Course activities include artistic creation, readings, listening assignments, writing, concert attendance, field trips, class discussion, and presentations.

Student learning outcomes: -Students will experience the compositional process first-hand through multiple composition projects on various topics -Students will prepare and perform select compositions from their portfolio of compositions in an end-of-semester recital -Students will accurately identify similarities and differences in musical genres, composers, compositions, and critical analyses through written assignments

You DO NOT have to be a music major or play an instrument to take this class

Note: if you have taken or now are taking a section of HSP172H, you may not take this course unless you have written permission by Dale Kennedy, Director of Honors, before registration.

Albion College Symposium on Teaching and Student Learning

Saturday, February 289:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.Science Complex Atrium

The 2015 Albion College Symposium on Teaching and Student Learning acknowledges the distinctive contributions of faculty and staff to teaching and student learning on campus. The event's guiding assumption is that by sharing and discussing our particular roles, Albion College staff and faculty will be better able to do the important work of shaping the minds and spirits of Albion College students.

There are three ways to participate in the symposium.

Attend

You can attend, listen, and join the conversation but not officially present.

Present

You can present a poster about teaching or student learning.

By "poster" we mean both the wall-hanging posters you'd see in a poster session at an academic or professional conference, but we also imagine that "posters" could be any kind of visual or aural object used to spark a discussion about teaching or student learning. Standard professional posters are welcome and encouraged. But just about anything else could also be considered a poster—a work of art, a letter from a parent, a spread sheet, a bridle and saddle, or a lacrosse stick. If it's an object that sparks a discussion about teaching or student learning, it's a poster.

Discuss

You can join a round-table discussion.

A roundtable is a moderated public discussion revolving around a general topic, question, or issue. The audience listens and joins in with questions and comments.

This year's symposium will feature two roundtables, one consisting of staff and another consisting of faculty, loosely linked by a concern for the full range of student experiences on campus, both in and out of the classroom.

Note: Roundtables for this year's symposium have already been formed in a committee process.

Presenters of posters and participants in round-table discussions will receive $100 as a gesture of thanks.

Schedule of Events

9:45 a.m.

Poster Set Up

Join us for chatting, coffee, tea, and muffins.

10:20 a.m.

Opening Remarks

Remarks by President Mauri Ditzler.

10:30-11:45 a.m.

Poster Session

Poster Session kicked off by presenters offering one-sentence descriptions of their posters.

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Staff Roundtable

1:15-2:00 p.m.

Poster session

Join us for another poster session over lunch and some chatting.

2:15-3:15 p.m.

Faculty Roundtable

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Poster session

Join us for the final poster session, some chatting, beer, wine, and yummy snacks.

Experience Opportunities

Fluency in more than one language and understanding other cultures are essential skills for living and working in our increasingly internationalized world. Students pursuing French, German, Japanese, and Spanish at Albion College will discover how people in other parts of the world think and express their ideas and beliefs, all while practicing and mastering their language of study through a number of ways.

First-, Second-, and Third-Year Courses

Besides introducing students to culture, all of the department's language courses emphasize the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Incorporated into classes are culturally authentic videos, films, radio programs and Internet sites, as well as music from foreign countries.

Outside the classroom, Native Speaker Teaching Assistants and advanced language students assist small groups of students in tutorials once a week. Language students also meet once each week for lunch with faculty, teaching assistants, native speakers and other students to practice their language skills in a more relaxed setting. Classroom study is further supplemented with language CDs that can be used in any campus computer lab or your dorm room.

Upper-Level Courses

Cultural, historical, literary and filmic texts are the focus of the department's upper-level courses, which are all taught in the target languages and which are designed to increase your awareness and understanding of different world views, arts and traditions. In this process, you will also gain a richer understanding of yourself and your own culture.

Additional Opportunities

Katie Stephens, '12, studied off-campus for a year in Argentina.

As a language major or minor at Albion College, you are required to live in the I-Space, our international language living and learning area, located in Fiske House, for at least one semester. Native Speaker Teaching Assistants help students learn more about the culture of their country, while also helping students refine their conversational skills in a residential setting. Students pledge to speak the intended language within their living quarters.

The Modern Languages in Elementary Schools (MLES) program helps modern language majors spread their own enjoyment of language learning to a younger generation by working in pairs with Albion grade-school students.

All Modern Language majors and minors are strongly encouraged to participate in one of several approved off-campus programs.

Please see our Faculty and Staff page for contact information for each of the professors, who will be glad to answer questions you may have about our program.